Search Interviews:

Jeremy JensonJeremy Jenson is the CEO at Encore Search Partners, a Houston-based direct hire and executive search firm with a team of 40 dedicated to headhunting professional and technical talent nationwide. Jeremy’s leadership and strategic vision have shaped Encore into a prominent player in the recruitment industry, ensuring the company stands out for its commitment to excellence and precise talent matching.

In addition to his role at Encore, Jeremy is a respected expert on the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) and an active member of the Houston Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), a global network of top entrepreneurs. Moreover, he is an active investor and staunch supporter of innovative ideas, consistently contributing to the growth and development of others in his local Houston community.


Spotify
Apple
Google Podcast
Amazon Music
Tune In
Stitcher
iHeart Radio
Deezer

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

  • Jeremy Jenson talks about Encore Search Partners and how they serve clients
  • The arduous process of hiring a new executive
  • Implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) within Encore 
  • The key aspects of the EOS format that resonate with Jeremy
  • How Jeremy tackles the challenges that come with implementing organizational change
  • Identifying and addressing culture killers within an organization
  • Jeremy’s approach to managing and resolving issues with problematic employees
  • The frequency and structure of Jeremy’s one-on-one coaching sessions
  • Who are Encore’s ideal clients?

In this episode…

Navigating the multifaceted realm of talent acquisition is an art form that can significantly fuel business growth when mastered. Jeremy Jenson has mastered this art. An expert in strategic hiring, Jeremy has built a business model that aligns perfectly with clients’ needs, proving the power of the right hire in the right position.

How do you drive business growth through strategic hiring? The answer, according to Jeremy, lies in understanding your clients’ needs and meticulously matching them with the right talent pool. His company has revolutionized the talent acquisition landscape, a testament to his innovative approach and understanding of the transformative power of strategic hiring.

In this episode of the Rising Entrepreneurs Podcast, host Dr. Jeremy Weisz engages in an insightful conversation with Jeremy Jenson, the CEO at Encore Search Partners. They explore the crucial role of strategic hiring in business growth, discuss the unique client service model that has set Encore apart, and share the compelling story of how Jeremy’s firm became a critical partner for Honeywell. This episode provides valuable insights for businesses aiming to drive growth through strategic hiring.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Sponsor for this episode…

At Rise25, we’re committed to helping you connect with your Dream 100 referral partners, clients, and strategic partners through our done-for-you podcast solution.

We’re a professional podcast production agency that makes creating a podcast effortless. Since 2009, our proven system has helped thousands of B2B businesses build strong relationships with referral partners, clients, and audiences without doing the hard work.

What do you need to start a podcast?

When you use our proven system, all you need is an idea and a voice. We handle the strategy, production, and distribution – you just need to show up and talk.

The Rise25 podcasting solution is designed to help you build a profitable podcast. This requires a specific strategy, and we’ve got that down pat. We focus on making sure you have a direct path to ROI, which is the most important component. Plus, our podcast production company takes any heavy lifting of production and distribution off your plate.

We make distribution easy.

We’ll distribute each episode across more than 11 unique channels, including iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. We’ll also create copy for each episode and promote your show across social media.

Co-founders Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran credit podcasting as being the best thing they have ever done for their businesses. Podcasting connected them with the founders/CEOs of P90xAtariEinstein BagelsMattelRx Bars, YPO, EO, Lending Tree, FreshBooks, and many more.

The relationships you form through podcasting run deep. Jeremy and John became business partners through podcasting. They have even gone on family vacations and attended weddings of guests who have been on the podcast.

Podcast production has a lot of moving parts and is a big commitment on our end; we only want to work with people who are committed to their business and to cultivating amazing relationships.

Are you considering launching a podcast to acquire partnerships, clients, and referrals? Would you like to work with a podcast agency that wants you to win?

Contact us now at support@rise25.com or book a call at rise25.com/bookcall.

Rise25 Co-founders, Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran, have been podcasting and advising about podcasting since 2008.

Episode Transcript

Intro 0:02

Welcome to the Rising Entrepreneurs Podcast where we feature top founders and entrepreneurs and their journey. Now let’s get started with the show.

Jeremy Weisz 0:13

Dr. Jeremy Weisz here, founder of InspiredInsider.com where I talk with inspirational entrepreneurs and leaders today is no different. I have Jeremy Jensen of Encore Search, and you can check them out. Before I formally introduce you Jeremy. I always like to point out other episodes people should check out of the podcast. Jeremy’s a bit and we’re going to talk about this actually EOS big on EOS. Everyone could check out the interview I do with Gino Wickman. Also, with Mark Winters of Rocket Fuel, he co authored the book rocket fuel with Gino Wickman, where talks about the visionary and the integrator, so check both those episodes out. Also big shout out to Travis, the founder of Glide Design, this interview wouldn’t be happening without Travis and their values driven digital creative agency in Austin, Texas. So check them out. Also, we’re gonna You have a great story about a police chief Jeremy, which we’ll get into Jason Smith is an agency owner spotlight social advertising, and he was fighting gangs. He was with the LAPD before becoming an agency on earth, not someone I would want to mess with, for sure. But check all those episodes out and more on inspiredinsider.com This episode is brought to you by Rise25. At Rise25 we help businesses give to and connect to their dream 100 partnerships and relationships. And how do we do that we actually help you run your podcast or an easy button for a company to launch or run a podcast we do accountability strategy, but the full execution, Jeremy kind of call ourselves the magic elves that are in the background and make sure to make it look easy for the hosts in the company to get everything out there. You know, for me, the number one thing in my life is relationships. I’m always looking at ways to give to my best relationships. And I found no better way over the past decade to profile the people and companies I most admire and share with the world what they’re working on. So you thought about podcasting you should if you have questions go to rise25.com We have lots of free resources, answering almost every question that we’ve gotten on the podcast too. So without further ado, Jeremy Jenson, he’s founder and CEO of Encore Search Partners. It’s a 40 person direct hire and executive search firm located in the great city of Houston. It’s focused on headhunting professional and technical talent nationwide. He’s a subject matter expert on EOS like I mentioned, which is the Entrepreneurial Operating System. He’s a fellow member of EO, Entrepreneurs Organization, we’ll probably see each other in a little a little bit in Detroit. And EO is a 16,000 member, global organization of some of the top entrepreneurs all around the world. And Jeremy is also an active investor, innovator and builder of others in his local Houston Community. Jeremy, thanks for joining me.

Jeremy Jenson 2:52

Thank you. Thank you. That was a great introduction.

Jeremy Weisz 2:57

It’s well deserved. And I want to hear from your words, tell people more about Encore Search and what you do.

Jeremy Jenson 3:04

Yeah, absolutely. So as you mentioned, we’re a 40 person direct hire recruiting firms. So companies turn to us as a grudge purchase whenever they’re having trouble finding high level technical talent. Yeah, you know, writing, you know, it’s so funny. I’m one of the few industries where it’s like, the bigger the fee, the easier it is for the client to write the check. And I’ll give you an example. If you’re recruiting an ADK, outside salesperson, you’re writing the $25,000, check 2025 grand, that might be a tough pill to swallow, the person hasn’t sold anything yet. But what if it’s an attorney that’s got a $3 million book of business, and you’re writing me a $250,000 fee, that becomes a lot easier, have a check to write, right? They’re gonna bring that book of business, and the profit that comes along with it. So we like to focus on the high level positions for sure.

Jeremy Weisz 4:00

I want to talk about attracting talent. And this is what you do this you do for other people. It’s actually what you do for yourself. You have some great LinkedIn posts. I want to encourage people to check them out. I was reading them and one of them was 15 million. Right? Um, talk about that for a second. 

Jeremy Jenson 4:20

Yeah, definitely. So about seven years ago. I brought on board, an individual contributor, his name is Casey Knight. And it was right after oil and gas had crashed here in Houston, Texas. And so I saw my business go from about a million dollars in revenue down to almost zero. So I was flirting with Casey. I actually went to high school with him. We weren’t really friends, but we were connected on social media. And he was thinking about making a change. And whenever I visited with him for coffee at black walnut cafe in Katy, Texas. He was voicing some frustrations about his current firm. He was a recruiter for financial advisors. And I’d never even, you know, thought about recruiting for financial advisors. These are stockbrokers at UBS, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, etc. And when he told me about the fee structure on how he generated fees on moving that individual, it really piqued my interest. And so in May of 2016, Casey came on board as an individual contributor. And today, he is now executive VP in the firm with our largest book of business in his specific vertical, they do about seven and a half million in revenue. So if he was a partner at a law firm, his practice area would be about a $7.5 million book. And, and then that was a celebration. That post was maybe a couple years ago, whenever he hit 15 million. And I just thought that that was like, such, you know, a massive milestone for somebody that came in at the ground floor. They believed in my technical competency. They believed in the vision that I painted for the future of the company and our real estate and our dress code and our amenities. And, you know, he started with one placement, I think it went down in September of 2016. And he hit that milestone in late 2020, early 21 of 15 million in revenue. So, very, very proud to celebrate that now, Casey’s probably at 25 million.

Jeremy Weisz 6:28

Talk about you know, I want to I’m gonna show something in a second. Because I love this, this post, but I want you to talk about was how that was, is a tough hire. You know, you mentioned you know, the energy and I appreciate you sharing, you know, the energy, oil and gas business went to not a lot at that time, and it’s not. Now looking back, it seems obvious, but at that point, in your business, it seems like it’s not necessarily an easy decision to hire anyone, for that matter. And I just want to point out like, here’s it made me Jeremy, when I look at this post, I thought I was gonna be watching a Netflix special. I love the image here. I want to go watch the Netflix special billers. Okay, so you guys have another business. I’m just like putting Netflix special images out there. I love this.

Jeremy Jenson 7:25

Well, this is definitely inspired by the famed HBO series ballers with the rock. And so what we did was we just put Casey’s face on the rocks body and change the A to an I. So that’s the actual, I guess, album cover to the TV show Ballers.

Jeremy Weisz 7:44

Yeah, I’m gonna go watch Billers. I was looking where to find it.

Jeremy Jenson 7:48

You know, people often say that I need my own YouTube show or Netflix special. And, you know, I think it could be in the cards in the future one day for sure.

Jeremy Weisz 7:58

Talk about that being maybe not so obvious or tough hire at the time?

Jeremy Jenson 8:07

Oh, wow. You know, I think the reason why it may have been a tough hire is because at the time, you know, Casey had a stay at home wife. He had two young children, I believe they were expecting their third at the time. And I had to twist his arm and convince him to leave, leave a firm that he had just made about $180,000. You know, at the last year, right that year before he came on board. And so, you know, we all know that in a in a in a recruiting model, or anytime that you generate revenue as an individual contributor and producer, your your compensation is tied to what you produce, right. And that was the very first time that I was faced with needing to pay someone, a six figure base salary, just to get them on board, you know, and, you know, we’re flashing all the way back to 2016. You know, we just started in 2013. And so, you know, when everybody else was at that 50 to 65k. Mark, bringing in KC at 120 base was a massive pill to swallow. But you know, what’s funny about hiring him and seeing what he was able to create, with his own intellectual capital and network and ideas and creativity was I saw the difference between a 120 person and a 60 person. And then, five months later, that gave me the confidence to go off for another, you know, 150 salary to get somebody at the VP level. And that gentleman is named Scott Kelly. And I’m proud to say that, you know, in the last six and a half years Scott’s been promoted three times VP, Senior VP, executive VP, and now he’s the president of the company. And so I’m so grateful that I, that I took the leap of faith and went and kind of pay had more than that I never paid anybody else. Because it shouldn’t all be on my shoulders. And I’m talking about the business development efforts, the creativity, the innovation. And now we’ve got a four headed monster as well, because we’ve added another VP since then, who is Christina Liles, our VP of legal search.